Vigor of Twelve is a play off of the fact that Jesus had twelve disciples. It is a name that helps stress an importance on discipleship. This blog is specifically geared for younger people and mature Christians who don't mind a fresh, bold, and blunt approach to faith. Comments welcome, let's begin the discussion!

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Acts 4:32-37

Acts 4:32-37

And of the fullness of the ones who believed, heart and soul
were one. And not one was saying
something of the things that exist to him to be his own but he was saying all
things in common to them. And by great
power the apostles were giving the testimony of the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
For there was not some poor in them.
For as much as owners of places or of houses were existing, while
selling they were bringing the value of the things being sold under and they
were putting near the feet of the apostles.
And it was distributed hand to hand to each as someone was having a
need. And Joseph – the one who was being
called Barnabas from the apostles, which is being translated as son of
exhortation, a Levite, Kuprios by lineage – while a field exists to him after
selling he brought the sum of money and put to the feet of the apostles.

Thoughts for Today:

First Thought:

The Bible tells us that the followers of Christ were of “one
heart and souls.” This doesn’t mean that
they were identical carbon copies of each other, but rather that they pursued
the same goal: reaching the mission field for Jesus Christ. They may not have done everything the same
way, but they had the same major goal.
Because they were unified, the Spirit moved among them. This passage has much to say about true
Christian community (and thus by default it has much to say in criticism to the
Christianity that we have today).

When you look at the church you attend, do you find unity in
purpose? How might that affect the
congregation’s ability to do mission?
What about if you look at Christianity in the town or city in which you
live – is there unity in purpose? Again,
how might that affect Christ’s Church’s ability to reach the world for Him?

Second Thought:

Here we also have a description for what it takes to be a
spiritual leader. The ones who were sent
are focusing on proclaiming Jesus Christ to the people around them. That’s spiritual leadership. If we want to be considered a spiritual
leader in Christ’s church, that’s part of the qualifications.

Do you talk with other people about Jesus Christ? When you talk with them, do you talk
academically about Jesus (IE what the Bible teaches) or do you talk about your
personal experiences with Jesus Christ?
If you do both, which do you do more often?

Third Thought:

The disciples took care of the needy in their midst. It seems so simple, but on another hand it is
quite difficult. Jesus tells us that we
will always have to poor with us. (See
Mark 14:7) Christ also tells us that it
is important to care for them (See Matthew 25:31-46).

Why can it be difficult to care for the poor? In what ways can it be satisfying to care for
the poor? Can we ever use caring for the
poor in a self-righteous way?